By Blake Ells Spain Park softball coach C.J. Hawkins has been chosen unanimously as the Over the Mountain Journal's coach of the year. The Jaguars came up just short of winning a state championship, falling in two games to Fairhope in Montgomery. Hawkins had no seniors on this year's squad "I'm very grateful for my players," she said. "My parents. Our community. They … [Read more...]
Relaxed Approach Enabled Hoover’s DiChiara to Reach His Potential
By Rubin E. Grant Sonny DiChiara’s senior baseball season didn’t end with another state championship, but it was satisfying, nonetheless. “It was really a more relaxed year, coming off a state championship,” DiChiara said. “I played loose and was having fun with it.” For DiChiara, having fun equaled a productive season as a first baseman and pitcher. At the plate, He … [Read more...]
The Constant Gardener: Eddie Aldridge Has Made the World a Little More Beautiful
By Donna Cornelius Eddie Aldridge was on a tour bus heading into Canada’s famous Butchart Gardens several years ago when he gave his fellow passengers a bit of a jolt. "I started screaming because there at the entrance to the gardens were our plants," he said, smiling at the memory. The plants that so delighted him were Snowflake hydrangeas. … [Read more...]
Freedom from Addiction: OTM Mayors Band Together to Fight Opioid Abuse
By William C. Singleton III As a retired FBI agent, Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry has seen the fate of drug dealers who enter the criminal justice system. As general manager of a funeral home, Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer has seen the ultimate consequences of drug use. As a former fire marshal, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato has seen emergency paramedics respond to an … [Read more...]
In Memory: Support Our Soldiers Dinner Will Fund Care Packages for Troops Abroad
*An article in the May 17 edition of the Over the Mountain Journal, "In Memory: Support Our Soldiers Dinner Will Fund Care Packages for Troops Abroad," has the wrong photo for Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas Rivers Jr. The photo printed was of the late Ryan Winslow of Hoover, who was killed while serving in Iraq in 2006. Just more than one year after their son Marine Lance … [Read more...]
